Search and rescue operations continue in the United States for the sixth day at the site of a partially collapsed apartment complex in Florida, where at least 11 people were killed and 150 are missing and feared dead.
The cause of the collapse of much of the 40-year-old high-rise building in Miami is still under investigation, with an initial focus on the structural shortcomings outlined in the engineer’s 2018 report.
In April, the head of the Condominium Association warned residents that concrete damage was «getting worse» along with damage to the roof, urging them to pay about $15 million in assessments for repairs, media reported.
With hopes dashed an hour after everyone else was pulled alive from the remaining rubble when nearly half of the 12-storey, 156-unit tower suddenly collapsed, authorities have ruled out the possibility of finding survivors.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava told reporters that the families of the 150 still missing are «dealing with the news that they may not have loved ones come out alive and are still hopeful.»
Officials said teams that pick out broken concrete, twisted metal and dust from crushed construction materials are still treating the round-the-clock operation — which uses dog teams, cranes and infrared scanners — as a search and rescue effort.
But no one was released alive from the rubble of the oceanfront tower in Surfside, which borders Miami Beach, a few hours ago after a side of the high-rise building collapsed early Thursday morning while residents slept.
Fire officials spoke of discovering faint sounds from within the pile of rubble and finding deep voids in the rubble large enough to sustain life.
«Not to say we saw anyone there but we didn’t hit rock bottom,» Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Ryde Gadallah said.
President Joe Biden may visit the disaster site this week.
Asked by reporters at the White House when he was on his way to visit Florida, he replied: «As soon as possible, maybe as early as Thursday.»
City officials announced that two more bodies were found yesterday, bringing the confirmed death toll to 11. Scattered thunderstorms today are expected to slow down search efforts.
A makeshift memorial a block from the site has been renovated with bouquets of fresh flowers tucked into a chain-link fence.
A poster board with hearts had a message to first responders: «Thank you for looking for my grandmother.»
A 2018 engineer’s report warned of «significant structural damage» to the concrete slab below the pool deck and deterioration of concrete, including exposed rebar, in the underground parking garage.
The report’s author, Frank Morabito, wrote that the deterioration «will expand dramatically» if not fixed.
In April, the head of the condo association wrote to residents saying concrete damage had «significantly worsened,» along with roof damage and urging them to pay about $15 million in assessments for repairs, according to a letter obtained by The Wall Street Journal. Journal and USA Today and reviewed by Reuters news agency.
Newspapers said the letter’s author, Jan Wodnecki, survived the collapse on Thursday.
«It’s all starting to come together now, because as I’ve said all along, there was something very wrong with this building,» Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told CNN when asked about the letter.
«Buildings in America don’t fall like that.»
Mr Burkett said the condominium union officials may not have realized the «severity» of the issue.
«Obviously, this was a huge mistake,» he said.
Attorney Donna Dimaggio Berger, an attorney who works with the association, previously said that the cases described in the 2018 report were typical of older buildings in the area.
Ross Prieto, the building’s chief administrator at Surfside at the time, met with residents weeks after the report was released and assured them that the building was «in very good condition,» according to the minutes of the meeting.
Reuters was unable to reach Prieto, who no longer works for Surfside.
He told the Miami Herald he did not remember receiving the report.
The tragedy may end up being ranked as the largest loss of life from an accidental building collapse in US history.
Two interior corridors in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri, collapsed during a party in July 1981, killing 114.
In January 1922, 98 people died when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theater in Washington collapsed due to heavy snow during a movie screening.
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